February 2021 $2.50 incl. GST - BTM

The Masked Crew Member

Operating the Museum during the Pandemic

Photo: Peter Waugh

February 2021 $2.50 incl. GST

News from the Ballarat Tramway Museum

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© Ballarat Tramway Museum, February 2021

Above: Matt Grindrod hard at work sanitizing

Below: All trips started and ended at the depot.

Above: Sam Boon with the first wedding for 2021.

Below: Len Millar, taking a break between trips.

All photos: Peter Waugh

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From the President

I would like to welcome all our new members and volunteers as we celebrate our 50th anni-versary. Events are planned for May to cele-brate the formation of the Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society, and in September to mark the 50th year since the tramway network closed.

Since reopening in November, we have been very busy, with a record number of visitors. We last carried these numbers in the 1970’s. While this is due to a lot people visiting the region be-cause of COVID travel restrictions, I believe our new style of operations have created a more frequent service to the public. I would like to thank and congratulate all our volunteers who have assisted over this period of time. Without your efforts we would not be able to operate.

2021 marks a big year for the museum; not only are we celebrating our 50th year, but we are al-so expanding our infrastructure. Work com-menced this week on our new museum display building, south of the existing building. The completion date is August, just in time for the COTMA conference in September. However further funding is required to see the building fitted out and the tracks installed to the new building. We are currently trying to seek further funding from all levels of government but at this stage we have not been able to obtain any grants.

We are also seeking funding to replace the tram track in Wendouree Parade, some of which dates back to 1905. The track is owned by the City of Ballarat. A grant from the council and the state government in 2019 meant we were able to replace 300 metres, but there is still 1km to go. The rough ride on the old track causes extra wear on our heritage tram fleet.

I would like to thank Virginia Fenelon for her tireless efforts over the past few months in as-sisting me in managing the museum extension project and applications for grants.

The continuing pandemic means 2021 will be a challenging year for the museum and our vol-unteers. I would like to invite you (and your friends) to join our volun-teers and assist around the museum. Please feel free to contact us.

It is so important that we all stick together and get through this, stay safe every-one.

Paul Mong President.

The Ballarat Tramway Museum acknowledges the Wadawurrung as the Traditional Owners of this land

and pay our respect to their Elders, past, present, and emerging.

Paul and Virginia sign the contract for the new

building with MKM Construction.

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New members

We welcome the following new members and Junior Supporters:

997 Gabriel Mallinson of Ballarat East

998 Robert Thompson of Wendouree

999 Wendy Hobday of Wendouree

1001 Carolyn Staines of Golden Point

1002 Karl Penrose of Eaglehawk

1003 James Adams of Sebastopol

1004 Leith Thomas

1005 Natascha Ludowyck

5100 Max Thomas

5101 Hugo Thomas, all of Ballarat

Former Junior Supporter Rohan Moore is wel-comed as a full member (1,000)

This year is the 50th year of the Ballarat Tram-way Museum, and also 50 years since the Balla-rat Tramway system closed. A number of events are planned to mark both anniversaries.

On Saturday 29 May, a lunch will be held at the Royal Mail Hotel in Sebastopol (the former tram-way terminus), on the 50th Anniversary of the forming of the Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society.

There will be a keynote address given by Clyde Croft, who was a foundation member, one of the first 56. His main contribution was setting up the

tram driver training program and the formal legal entity in the form of a company in 1973. As Sec-retary from 1973 to 1975 Clyde oversaw the qual-ification of the first drivers and commencement of museum operations in 1974.

Details and booking information is included with this issue.

The Closure

To mark the end of the tramway era, a day of vin-tage transport is being organized for Sunday, 19 September 2021. The events will be centered around the Museum, and will feature all the trams of the fleet, as well as other vintage transport or-ganisations. Hopefully our new display building will be open.

The anniversary will coincide with the 2021 con-ference of the Council of Tramway Museums of Australasia (COTMA). Keep the date in your dia-ry, and further details will be made available at a later date.

Patronage

From Boxing Day to the end of January some 4,700 passengers were carried. This is a superb result considering the temporary operating ar-rangements which led to the tram running nine less days than usual due to staffing restraints. Over the same period last year 2,500 people rode.

Alastair Reither with No.38’s brake rigging.

Photo: Peter Waugh, January 2021

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Ballarat Streets

Sturt Street - (Part One)

By Peter Waugh

Sturt Street is the main thoroughfare of Ballarat and was the centre piece of the Ballarat tramway network. All tram routes included Sturt Street for some of their journey. The development of Sturt Street has often been the cause of contro-versy from the earliest days of Ballarat’s histo-ry. Even in 2021 there are arguments about the closing of most of the cross-street intersections. However, the street has never been static, and has always been evolving to meet the communi-ty’s needs. This is the first in a series of articles about the history of Sturt Street, and some of the many stories which took place on, or alongside the roadway.

Sturt Street is now 7 km in length, running east west from Grenville Street to Russell Street, and then heading north west as far as Dyson Drive. Sturt Street was created in the first survey of the town in 1851 by W. S. Urquhart. In the 1860s a

dual carriageway with central median strip was created. Sections of the road have been known by other names, including Raglan Road, and Old Western Highway. (1) West of Dyson Drive it becomes Remembrance Drive.

In 1880 Niven's “Guide Book and Souvenir of Ballarat” said: “Sturt Street is the main artery, running east and west, and is intersected at right angles by Lyd-iard Street, the Post Office being at the northeast corner, with the Bank of Australasia and the London Chartered Bank to the right and left of the intersection, and the Burke and Wills Foun-tain intervening, at the back of which is the cab stand, where comfortable carryalls and buses, may be had to all parts of the town and suburbs, at very reasonable fares, threepence being the tariff for a three-mile ride starting every half hour by Wellington's Buses, starting every half hour, the journey extending from the Orphan Asylum, in the Melbourne Road, Ballarat East, to Lake Wendouree, or in another direction round the Lake to the Botanic Gardens.” (2)

Sturt Street, 1868,, looking east from Lydiard Street towards Grenville Street. The south side of the roadway later

included a layover siding for the Ballarat Tramway. Photo: Ballarat Historical Society.

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Evelyn Sturt

Sturt Street is named after Evelyn Pitfield Shirley Sturt (25 October 1815 – 10 February 1885), Chief Inspector of Police, magistrate and younger brother of explorer Charles Sturt. Born in Dorset, England, he was the youngest son of Thomas Lenox Napier Sturt, a puisne judge in

Bengal for the British East India Company, and Jeanette Wilson. Educated at the Sandhurst Military College, in 1836 he migrated to New South Wales, and four months later was ap-pointed as the Commissioner of Crown lands, based in Yass.(3) Being only 21 years of age, he was sometimes referred to as 'the boy commis-sioner'. Two years later, he resigned and then overlanded sheep and cattle 1200 kms from Bathurst to Adelaide to take up a large parcel of land as a grazier, eventually settling near Mount Gambier.

Sturt accepted an appointment as the Police Magistrate in Melbourne in 1849, and then served as superintendent of the Melbourne Po-lice until 1853. In 1854, he was appointed to the commission of inquiry into the Bentley ho-tel affair at Ballarat. The murder of a young drunken miner by the publican, and failure of the police and courts to deliver justice led to an angry mob burning down the hotel. This was

Sturt Street from Lydiard Street, c.1905, with the ESCo

summer tram going east.

Tram 39 in Sturt Street, at Lydiard Street, about to go down the hill. Photo: Chris Phillips, 1971.

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one of the key events which led to Eureka Stockade rebellion on 3 December 1854. Sturt recommended dismissal of some corrupt gov-ernment officers and compensation to some of those who had suffered losses. He was also a member of the royal commissions in 1861 that reported on the disastrous Burke and Wills ex-pedition. In 1885, when returning to Victoria from a trip to England, Sturt contracted a severe case of bronchitis. He died, aged 69, on 10 Feb-ruary 1885, near the Egyptian city of Port Said. His body was returned to England for burial.

Traffic

While in 2021 the city is closing the number of cross streets, a letter to the Star in February 1862, raised the idea of adding more, by joining Camp Street and Albert Street and removing the central garden reserve: “Suppose a vehicle should come through Albert street, on its way to Camp street or vicinity, it

would have to go down to Branston's corner, or else up and round by the Post Office. This would be very inconvenient in these bustling times, when most persons in possession of vehi-cles for business purposes have to make the most of their time and horseflesh if they wish to gain any profit. Now, if Sturt street were made the whole width, from the outlet of Bridge street up to about the lower side of Albert street or as far as practicable, this inconvenience, as well as the great inconvenience to pedestrians who wish to cross over to the Star office, or thereabouts, would be obviated, and, in my opinion, the general appearance of the street be greatly superior. If the embankment com-menced at a point about parallel to the lower side of Albert street, it might gradually rise as it does at present, especially as there are no places of business above that point, except govern-ment offices and such places as would not be

Sturt Street, c. 1924, looking west from Grenville Street. Photo: Valentine’s postcard from

Shirley Jones collection of Victorian postcards, State Library of Victoria.

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materially affected by any alteration...” (4)

The author predicted the outcome of traffic coming too fast down the hill and crashing into buildings at the entrance to Bridge Street as happened 100 years later with two runaway trams: “By adopting some such plan as this I think a great many evils would be remedied; among others, the probability of runaway horses going smash into the windows of the corner houses at the entrance to the Main road…and…having a road in the centre and trees each side, is, in my opinion, sheer nonsense. In fact, it seems an absurdity to me that he (Walter Craig of “Craig’s Royal Hotel”) should entertain the idea of planting trees at all in the very heart of the town, where every inch of room will be re-quired, I hope, in the course of a few years, when the railway and eastern market, and other places, are in going order. Perhaps Mr Craig may have a latent wish that parties coming from Bridge street direction should not have the chance to see any houses of public accommoda-tion before they reach the top of the hill, which they might not if said houses were hidden be-hind the foliage of trees.”(4)

In 1922, 1923 and 1924 the council debated the

issues of traffic running in Sturt Street. Traffic travelled in both directions on each side of the centre gardens. The new Superintendent of Po-lice for Ballarat argued that this was dangerous, and the street should be made one way on each side. The council said that the street was in fact two streets, and therefore the traffic should go both ways.

In May 1922 the Council were blaming the trams for much of the traffic confusion over di-rections: “At the meeting of the City Council last night a letter was received from the manager of the Electric Supply Company, stating that the re-tention of the two-way Sturt street was depend-ent upon the agreement between the Council and this Company has nothing to do with the case whatever. Cr. Harrison moved that the Council take immediate steps to have the traffic altered. The matter had got to the absurd state, and every day almost people were being fined for breaches of the traffic regulations. The traf-fic followed the trams, and was penalised, whereas the trams were allowed to run as they chose…Cr. M'Kenzie said that any traffic fol-lowing, the trams on their side was not infring-ing the law. Cr. Levy: Do you tell me that traf-fic going the same way as the trams can go on the tram track? Cr. M'Kenzie: Yes. Cr. Bell: He is right. Cr. Levy: Absurd. Why, you would be summoned and fined at once. Cr. White: Is Sturt street a two-way street? The Town Clerk: Yes, from the Galloway monument to Pleasant street…Cr. Cooke: Very well, if one was rich enough to take his case to the High Court you would find that any penalty for driving on what is called the wrong side would be quashed. We prosecute people, for driving on the wrong side, but we allow the tram cars to do it all day and every day. Mr. Richards inquired what was go-ing be the cost of changing the trams over, and who was going to pay it…The Council would Tram tracks being relaid in Sturt Street by the SEC, 1934.

Photo: State Library of Victoria

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have to pay. The Tramway Company had abused their original powers to a large extent. Everyone knew that, but to carry the motion would get no-where. Cr. Harrison's motion was amended to read:- That the Council take action to have the trams reversed, and that the solicitor's advice be obtained on the whole incidence of the tram run-ning," and was carried in that form.”(5)

There were many long discussions in the council chambers:

“The point was whether the act or the by-law ruled…A by-law could not overrule an Act of Par-liament. Long ago it had been tried, and the Act dated back to 1857, when Sturt street was a two-way street…Even their own solicitor was vague about it. Superintendent Byers was a man with very great experience. He had been in Melbourne for years and knew more about traffic than coun-

cillors. Sturt street should be a one-way street, and... each day and every day risks were taken. One had to watch the traffic every way from a safety standpoint…The Automobile Club is be-hind it, and they are a power. One does not know where to drive. It’s quite easy to say, “You know where to drive." Nobody knows where to drive. We know that the rules of the road are. A cabman with 40 years experience told me to-day that even now he does not know where to drive to avoid the police…all that was needed was that a sign at the “Buck’s Head” and another at Pleasant street, “Keep to the Left," and that was all. There had been, no accidents…only a few people brushed off a tram…it was absurd to think of making Sturt street a one-way street. In Flinders Lane, or Little Collins street, Melbourne, it was different, and it might be right, but it was ridiculous in Ballarat.”(6)

One councilor commented that: “Superintendent Byres is a charming man, but how can he come into a city which has had a custom of half-a-century’s standing and say that it is all wrong, and I will not prosecute anyone who offends.” Another said: “And where does that get you. You have the trams running up the wrong side of both ways. If a motor or horse vehicle does that and the police pounce on them what hope have they. Let us get the Crown Law Department’s opinion and settle the thing once for all. It was decided, on the cast-ing vote of the mayor, to obtain the opinion of the Crown Law officers.”(7)

“Sturt street and its traffic came up before, the City Council again last night, when a letter was received from Superintendent Byers, stating that it had been reported that the trams were running on the wrong side of the street and asking whether there should be a prosecution under By-law 90. It was asked whether the council would conduct and be responsible for the prosecution. Cr Bell said that he was surprised to receive such a letter. The council was wasting time discussing matters which need not come before it... Cr Besemeres re-

Sturt Street, looking west from the Town Hall tower,

c.1905. Photo: State Library of Victoia

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garded the letter as a rather silly thing to send along, because the writer knew that the practice had been granted... Cr. Harrison, was surprised to hear that councillors regard this as a joke. Superintendent Byers was out to protect the public, and he (Cr Harrison) was surprised to find councilors treating the letter as a joke. It was a clear-cut question, and the reply was dodging responsibilities. Councillors knew that it was wrong to wink their eye at the trams. Traffic conditions at present were “absolutely rotten.” The council should grapple with the question... Cr Bell remarked that it would cost £500 to alter the way in which the trams ran, and the council would have to pay it. Cr Levy said that if a mistake had been made in the past which caused danger, it was up to the present council to rectify it irrespective of cost. The motion was denied. Cr. Levy moved that the solicitor's opinion be obtained as to the legality of the company running the trams in the present way under the agreement...The motion was agreed to.”(8)

The law was finally changed, and Sturt Street became a double thoroughfare with one-way traffic on each side, from 3 June 1926.(9) Police-men were put on point duty to help, and it was also announced there would be no penalties for breaches for several weeks to aid the transition.

In 2017 VicRoads announce a major redesign of Sturt Street which would remove the danger-ous intersections with Lyons, Errard, Windemere and Talbot Streets. At Raglan and Ascot Streets drivers would be able to perform a U-turn but would not be able to travel straight across Sturt Street. There have been 76 reported crashes with 106 people injured at these inter-sections over the last five years. A controversial part of this $10 million plan envisaged a cy-cling path built through the centre of the Sturt Street Gardens. (10) This plan has been adopted, but with the cycling path built on the side of the

garden reservation.

References:

1. Roads and Open Space Project, City of Ballarat,February 2011 2. Niven, F. W. 1880, Niven's guide book and souve-nir of Ballarat: the garden city of Victoria, pg. 12 3. Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition."Sturt, Evelyn Pitfield Shirley (1816–1885)" (Database). Australian National University 4. 1862 'STURT STREET "IMPROVEMENTS."',The Star, 1 February, p. 4. 8 5. 1922 'THE ONE WAY STREET', The BallaratStar, 16 May, p. 1. 6. 1923 'ONE WAY STREET.', The Ballarat Star, 24July, p. 6. 7. 1924 'ONE WAY OR TWO?', The Ballarat Star, 19February, p. 1. 8. 1924 'WAS IT A JOKE?', The Ballarat Star, 27May, p. 1. 9. 1926 'BALLARAT ONE-WAY TRAFFIC', TheHerald, 3 June, p. 14. 3 10. 2017, Wrigley, Brendan, ‘How Ballarat is going tochange under cycling overhaul”, Ballarat Courier, 15 November.

From 1905:

ELECTRIC TRAM WIRE FUSES

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE

Some excitement was created at Ballarat Tele-phone Exchange, when a switchboard suddenly took fire. The staff promptly extinguished the flames before they made much headway.

The fire originated through one of the electric trolly wires falling onto a telephone wire, which thus became heavily charged with electricity. The telephone wire snapped, and one end twist-ed round the neck of Mrs. Bowden, who was driving along the street. Mrs. Bowden suffered severely from shock.

Sunday Times, 31 December 1905, pg, 8. National Library of Australia.

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Rebuilding the Compressor

By Gordon Bentley

Westinghouse 10cu.ft. Compressor.

Serial No. 40064. Style D410E

600 Volt 1200 RPM

During the COVID lockdown last year, several projects were undertaken by a small group in the-workshop. One of these was the rebuilding of the air compressor for Tram 38.

This compressor was removed from Tram No. 38 because of excessive noise in the unit. The com-pressor was first exterior cleaned, and the surviv-ing paint was removed. The oil was drained out. When the motor was removed, it was noted that the armature was very worn in the brushes area. The whole compressor was then dismantled. The bronze motor and compressor bearings were in good condition with no scoring showing.

The compressor head was rebuilt and the valves identified and relapped in position, reassembled and tested. The whole body, including all internal and external parts were cleaned. All moving parts were inspected and measured and found to be within accepted tolerances. The armature and coils were passed to Ballarat Motor Windings for ser-

vice. They promised the parts would be ready in the same week, they were. As we now have a ring compressor tool, the refitting of the piston assem-blies was a delight. We no longer have to use ca-ble ties! The compressor was then reassembled and new gaskets made and fitted. Electrical parts were painted red and exterior compressor parts painted black. As yet we have not had the time to test run the unit.

Tram 38’s compressor at the start of the rebuild.

Photo: Alastair Reither

Gordon Bentley in the workshop

Photo: Peter Waugh

The finished compressor awaiting final testing before re-

placing it back into the tram.

Photo: Peter Waugh

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Restoration of W7 1029.

By Len Millar

Former Melbourne “W7” class tram 1029 ar-rived at our Bungaree property from Newport Workshops early last year. The tram was given to us by VicTrack, and its restoration to operat-ing condition (along with a lick or two of paint) is progressing well! A small workforce “bubble” was able to work on the tram through the lockdown.

By May last year, 1029 had been moved in to the new large shed at Bungaree, and the restora-tion project commenced with the removal of the exterior advertisement panels. The ceiling in the No. 2 end saloon was replaced and two slid-ing door motors removed for overhaul.

In June, work started on stripping the canvas from the clerestory roof, which was preceded by removing the trolley poles, bases, and trolley decks. Alastair Reither and Simon Jenkins peeled off the deteriorated canvas covering.

By the middle of July all the saloon drop win-dows and fittings were removed ready for refur-bishment. Chris Phillips stripped off the old paint, removed the rubber strips along the bot-tom of each window, and applied new paint. The tram was jacked up, its bogies and badly rusted wheels removed, and replaced with bo-gies and good “thick” wheels from “SW5” 812 - which we had recovered from the tram which had been allocated to a community group in Di-amond Creek.

During August, work started on stripping paint from the first of the side panels (No. 2 end, ‘South side’). All the side (uppermost) hopper windows and the drop windows in both driver’s cabins were removed for refurbishment. The removal of clerestory roof timber edging/moulding was completed.

In September, work on sanding the rest of the side and end panels was carried out, and all the interior advertisement stickers were removed. The curved sides of the roof were painted with the first topcoat, and all the window surrounds

Replacing the bogies on 1029, July 2020. Photo: Alastair Reither

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were painted with undercoat. The driver’s bulk-head windows next to the doors were removed, for eventual replacement with clear glass. This will improve the view for our passengers.

In October, four sliding doors were removed, and the first topcoat painted on the curved roof areas. Repairs to the clerestory roof and drip rails were carried out by commercial carpenter Adam, who has done magnificent work on reconstructing ES-Co. Tram No. 12 at our Ballarat Depot.

The cream sections, between the windows and doors, had a topcoat application by Ballarat com-mercial painter Richard, the side and end panels undercoated, and topcoat of green trim applied to the roof and sliding doors. The bottom of the slid-ing doors and driver’s cabin exterior doors were painted in “Tramways Board” green.

Simon began the tedious removal of the wooden slats on the drop centre floor. With his knees pro-

tected by knee pads, it took two weeks of hard work. Simon deserves praise for his outstanding effort on this “cruel” job!

On 27 October work commenced on removal of the malthoid floor covering and the installation of all the window fittings with new rubber seals.

A week later, the refurbished bogies with new lugs, were attached to the tram’s body. The first of the refurbished drop and hopper windows were reinstalled in the Number 1 end saloon. Richard (the painter) applied the first topcoat of green to the side and end panels. New rubbers were in-stalled to three of the sliding doors, replacing dam-aged rubbers. On the last day of the year that our world didn’t ask for, Alastair and Simon com-menced on re-canvassing the clerestory roof.

There is still much more to be done before 1029 moves to Ballarat to replace damaged “Flower Tram” 661. It will be ideal for charter groups, es-pecially on cold, wet Winter days (remember them?).

Paint supplies. Photo: Alastair Reither

Canvassing the roof. Photo: Simon Jenkins The body after painting. Photo: Alastair Reither

The roof. Photo: Alastair Reither

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From the Archives

Warren Doubleday

Although it is new to the collection, the framed set of tickets shown in the photo are quite old; some dating back to the late 1880s. Late last year, the City of Ballarat Library gave to us the framed set of tickets of the Electric Supply Co. of Victoria. The sheet is dated September 1906 and has become collection item 8000. The item comprises tickets for both the horse and electric tramways, as ESCo still operated horse trams on the Sebastopol line until 1913. The display shows how the ticket system worked.

For example, tickets could be pre-purchased and exchanged for a check ticket or a cash fare paid which was a penny more. There are Parcel tickets, employees’ tickets, and school tickets that enabled the person to travel four times that

day - which allowed the student to go home for lunch and then back to school.

Looking at the variety of tickets and passes il-lustrated, it would have been used to train new conductors in the type of tickets on issue and what to do with them.

The frame had to be re-taped on the rear and when disassembled for scanning, the rear of one of the sheets shows it had been restored by Keith Anderson of the State Electricity Com-mission during August 1966.

Our thanks to the City of Ballarat for passing this important item to us.

If you would like to view the tickets in more detail, visit:https://btm.org.au/images/posters/btm_collection_record_8000i.html (Copy & paste the link)

https://btm.org.au/images/posters/btm_collection_record_8000.html

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Stepping back in time

Peter Waugh’s photo of Neville Britton with a group of young visitors received a record number of positive

reviews recently in an international photo challenge on the theme of “Storytelling.”

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Fares Please! is published by the Ballarat Tramway Museum Inc. (A0031819K) six times a year in alternate months commencing in February. It is distributed to members and friends.

For further information regarding the Museum, its activities, and publications please contact:

Geelong No. 2 Test run, January passengers, and No. 38 over the pit.

Photos: Peter Waugh

No. 34 at the Royal Mail Hotel, Sebastopol, c. 1950s. From the Ian Saxon Collection

The Secretary, P.O. Box 632, Ballarat, Vic, 3353 Phone / Fax 61 3 5334 1580E-mail: [email protected] Web page:www.btm.org.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/btm.org.au

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February 2021 $2.50 incl. GST - BTM